Season's eatings

'Tis the season of goodwill and gluttony when college and campus tables groan with slabs of Christmas pudding and melt-in-the-mouth brussels sprouts.

But not everyone joins in this festive time with equal verve. For some it is an exhausting round of parties while under pressure to display a jovial and public profile. For others it is a quick bite between drawing up budgets and sorting out research grants.

For students it is the time when their grant cheques for the term tend to run out and they still need to buy bath salts for mum.

Roger Ward, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, confessed to being partied out by Christmas week. "What I have learned in this job is that you get invited to literally dozens of Christmas lunches and dinners," he said. "I have been eating turkey for several days and I have now decided to give it up. I am reduced to smoked salmon and a glass of champagne which is my standard morning, noon and evening fare."

Peter Toyne, vice chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, says that in spite of numerous invitations he is always abstemious in the run-up to Christmas, avoiding all parties until Christmas Eve because he likes to keep Advent. The week before Christmas, he claimed, was bread and water and not much else.

"But when it comes to the festive season itself I do everything and probably way over the top," he said. "Generally, I eat what I like because I work on the principle that you never know when your time is up and if the last thing I have is a lettuce leaf I'll be very cross."

Gary Bouch, 24, communications officer at Leeds University Student Union, has not been eating much lettuce either. His typical menu in the run-up to Christmas is toast and coffee for breakfast, a ham or cheese sandwich for lunch and pasta and pesto or baked beans in the evening.

"In the early part of my degree I had more money and sometimes went for a curry," he said. "You don't do that later because you can't afford it."